It Started with a Whisper
by quisinart4
Summary: Kono meets Doris McGarrett, befriends Mary Ann, and falls for Steve along the way. s3 AU COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** it started with a whisper (and that was when i kissed her)

**Summary: **Kono meets Doris McGarrett, befriends Mary Ann, and falls for Steve along the way.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**Author's Note: **This begins in the middle of 3x04 and goes AU. Mostly, I was ticked Kono was never properly introduced to Doris in that episode. We saw Catherine, Danny, Kamekona, and Chin all meet her, but we never saw Kono and Doris' first meeting. So, I wrote the introduction myself and of course, it turned into a Steve/Kono story from there.

The title is from the song "Everybody Talks" by Neon Trees. Many thanks to **Tiana-P** and **teenycee** for proofreading, encouraging, and handling my freak-outs while I finished this piece. There will be a total of five parts. Comments are very appreciated. Enjoy!

* * *

The first time Kono meets Doris, she's caught off guard by how normal the woman seems. It's hard to see her as some spy mastermind who's kept herself hidden for decades, and not a nice lady who bakes and knits and goes to book club meetings on Sundays like Kono's mom does.

Kono comes out of her office to see the guys gathered around the smart table with Doris as she marvels at the fancy tech toy.

"Wow. We never would have dreamed of something like this in my time," the woman comments, looking up to see Kono approaching. "And you must be Kono, is that correct?"

"Uh, yes, hi," Kono says. "Welcome... back." _Welcome back from the dead_ sounds a little off so she stops her greeting there.

"You look a little young to be on the Governor's task force," Doris comments and Kono prickles at the observation. "You only graduated from the academy a few years ago, is that correct?"

Seriously? Is Steve's mom in charge of running personnel evaluations now?

But before she can say anything, Steve answers for her.

"Kono helped us out with our first ever Five-0 case, Doris. She may be the rookie but she's one of us," Steve answers proudly, giving her a nod of approval and she thanks him with a quick smile.

"Plus, someone has to wear the skimpy clothing when we go undercover," Danny teases as he bumps shoulders with her playfully, letting her know that he doesn't give a damn what Doris thinks.

"Yeah, Danny doesn't have the legs for it," she teases back as the blond detective scoffs at her.

"I see. Well, you must be good if my son's kept you around this long," Doris says with a smile and Kono accepts the peace offering.

"Thanks," she replies with ease then turns back to business mode as she relays her findings to the team.

* * *

They're over at Danny's to watch a football game when Kono gives Steve her piece of advice. She didn't mean to but she can't help but feel nervous about Doris being around and how quickly Steve seems to have accepted her back into his life. It's clearly worrying Danny and Chin, and it worries her too.

She's in the kitchen emptying another bag of chips into the bowl (at least Danny had finally bought bowls for his new apartment) when Steve slides next to her to grab a soda out of the fridge.

"Hey," he says with a smile as he comes to stand by her at the microwave while she waits for the popcorn to finish.

"Hey, Boss. How's it going?"

"Good. You?" he asks as he leans against the counter and looks down at her.

"Okay. No Catherine today?" she asks. She likes the other woman and since she's been deployed to Hawaii indefinitely, she's been hanging out with the team more.

"She had to go to base," Steve answers with a shrug.

"What's your mom up to today?" Kono asks curiously.

"She said something about buying new curtains and grocery shopping."

Kono chuckles. "So I guess we can officially say you live with your mother, Boss."

Steve groans. "Shut up, Kono."

"And that she buys your groceries and makes you breakfast and-"

"Not cute," Steve says sternly but even he's smiling at her teasing. "Although I admit, it's nice having someone there when I get home, you know?"

"Yeah," she answers quietly. "It must be weird though," she says before she can help herself.

"What?" Steve asks, his eyes crinkling at her comment.

"Just... having her back."

Steve doesn't answer for so long that she thinks she's overstepped her bounds. They don't talk about this stuff, that's what he has Danny for. She didn't mean to cross a line and she opens her mouth to apologize but he speaks first.

"It is. I... I never expected it, not in a million years. I still can't believe it sometimes," Steve admits. His expression contains a mix of wariness and joy and even though Kono knows she's definitely crossing the line with this comment, she can't help but blurt it out.

"Just be careful, okay?" Steve looks at her, his blue eyes trying to decipher her meaning as he looks into her chocolate ones. "I know you want to trust her, I mean, of course, she's your mother but-"

"Have you been talking to Danny?" Steve questions a little forcefully and Kono falters.

"No, okay, yes, a little. It's just... we're worried about you, Boss. I don't wanna see you lose her all over again," Kono says and her hand reaches out to cover his on the counter before she even realizes she made the move. But there it is, the feel of his warm skin against her own, the cool metal of his watch grazing her inner wrist.

"I... thanks, Kono," he says as he continues to look at her.

They stay like that until the ding of the microwave makes Kono jump and she quickly pulls her hand back and clears her throat awkwardly, making herself seem more busy than she actually is with opening the popcorn bag.

"Um, I'll see you in there," Steve says as he points toward the living room.

"Yup. Be right there," Kono says quickly, not meeting his eyes.

* * *

They're the last ones left at HQ and Kono's just finished her paperwork and grabbing her keys when Steve sticks his head into her office.

"Hey, Danny's tonight, you're in charge of chips and ice cream for Grace," Steve orders.

"Oh, I can't. I'm not going," Kono says hesitantly. "I have a date."

Steve pauses for a minute as if unsure of what to say. "Oh. Okay."

"Sorry," Kono says, then grimaces to herself. Why is she apologizing? She doesn't need to apologize. She and Adam planned this before Danny's impromptu invitation to come over for dinner and hear Grace recite lines for her school play.

"Well, have fun," Steve says just as awkwardly as she feels.

"Thanks. Night," Kono says as she brushes by him in the doorway, telling herself she doesn't notice the hardness of his chest or the way he seems to always radiate body heat.

But she does.

The meal at the five-star restaurant with Adam is superb but she finds herself missing Danny's Williams' Family Spaghetti Special and the light-hearted smiles Steve uses whenever Grace is around.

* * *

It takes her five months and a lot of coaching herself to finally get back into the water at nighttime. She was fine during the day, but hadn't managed to get that night out of her head when she'd try to go for a midnight swim. It was as if the water was taunting her, the waves seeming much more cruel under the moonlight than they would by the rays of the morning sun.

After forcing herself to get a few steps closer every night, she laughs with relief as she's waist deep in the water, feeling like she's finally home again. She swims for an hour until she's exhausted then forces herself out of the water when she realizes she has work the next morning.

This job has taken a lot from her but she's not going to let it take this.

She can't stop smiling the next morning and Danny keeps giving her funny looks across the smart table.

"Did you get laid or something? You're all _bouncy _today," Danny comments as he looks at her with raised eyebrows.

"No, I did not get laid, thank you very much," Kono answers. "I just had a good swim last night. You've never had that feeling?"

"Uh, no. Never. That would only be you and Aqua Man over there who get all adrenaline and chlorine high from the ocean," Danny says as he points toward Steve who's on the phone with HPD.

"Me, personally? I'd rather get laid," Danny says. Kono rolls her eyes at him, even as she continues to grin.

* * *

"Where's your date?" Catherine asks.

"He's out of town on some business," Kono says, trying to keep her expression neutral.

It is the truth. Adam flew to the mainland two days ago and tonight's the Governor's Ball. But despite his travel plans, Kono can't help but feel a little relieved that she doesn't have to drag her Yakuza mob boss boyfriend to an event where eighty percent of the attendees work in law enforcement. Not to mention Chin and Danny and Steve. That's a hurdle Kono tries not to think too much about, going public, but truth is, it's already bugging her. Then again, she can only take him places if he's ever actually _around_.

But right now is not the place to think about this, and certainly not in the middle of a conversation with Catherine.

"They don't have those little crab cakes this year," Kono says with a pout as she looks around the table.

"Oh, those were good," Catherine agrees, her hair swinging around her face as she nods.

"Maybe next year."

Catherine releases a scoff as she echoes Kono's statement. "Yeah, next year."

Kono looks at her in confusion. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, no," Catherine says quickly then shrugs, her discomfort clear as day as she avoids Kono's eyes. "Nothing, it's dumb."

"What's up?" Kono asks gently. She glances up to see Steve and Danny still in conversation with the governor across the room. They have a good three minutes before the boys make their way over; plenty of time for girl talk.

"It's just... how many years do I keep doing this?" Catherine says, her voice low to be avoid being heard despite the chatter and music echoing in the ballroom around them. "Arranging leave on the right days, hoping we're docked at Pearl Harbor, then back to my real life a million miles away. I can't keep getting dressed up for the Governor's Ball every year until I'm sixty cause he invites me that weekend."

"I..." But Kono has no idea what to say because considering what her relationship is like right now, she's the last one to be dispensing advice. "Not to mention his mother coming back from the dead," she adds lamely.

Catherine laughs. Kono might suck at the actual advice giving, but she can always make you laugh.

"Ah, yes, there's that too," Catherine says wryly.

Kono hears Danny and Steve's bickering as they approach the table before she actually sees them. Catherine gives her a panicked look and says, "Don't say anything, okay?"

"Of course I won't," she promises. "You'll figure it out."

Kono hopes she figures it out herself too.

* * *

Kono comes into her office to finish up paperwork when she sees Mary Ann sprawled in a chair. Kono heard she came down a few days ago for the McGarrett family reunion but the last thing she expected was to see her at Five-0 headquarters, much less her office.

"Um, hi?" Kono says, taking a seat across from her.

"Hey. Sorry, I just didn't wanna run into my brother out there," Mary Ann exclaims as she gestures toward the room beyond the glass.

"No problem," Kono says. It's been a long day, case files can wait. "How's it going?"

"Well, my mom's back from the dead," Mary Ann says sarcastically.

"I heard."

"Yeah." Mary Ann pauses for a moment and Kono can see her trying to hold back her next words but they escape anyway. "What a bitch."

Kono snorts but doesn't disagree.

"Is there anywhere to get drunk around here?" Mary Ann asks.

She got punched in the stomach by a suspect who was flying high as a kite, her paperwork from the last two cases isn't done yet, Adam's out of town _again_, and her fridge is empty cause she hasn't had time to go grocery shopping in weeks.

"Follow me," Kono says with a grin, grabbing her keys and leading Mary Ann out of the office.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** it started with a whisper (and that was when i kissed her)

**Author's Note: **Thanks so much to those who commented with interest on the first part of the story. I hope you like this update.

And how _awesome_ was last night's episode? Team Ohana for the win, with a little Mary McGarrett thrown in. :D Plus, the episode was titled "Ohuna" so a perfect coincidence!

* * *

"We recovered what's left of the trigger device but just our luck, Fong's not in today," Kono says to the group as they examine the evidence left from the bomb blast. "The other lab will take days."

"Tell them we're Five-0," Steve demands.

"Uh, they don't really like us very much since you went in there last year and yelled at them to work faster or you'd tell the Governor on them," Kono reminds him.

"Bastards," Steve mutters under his breath.

"I love it when the universe works against us," Danny says sarcastically. "Just makes going to work all the more fun. This is why I tell you to be nice to people, Steven. Thank God I chaperone when we visit Fong and Max or they'd hate us too."

"Chaperone? I don't need a chaperone, Danny," Steve exclaims, offended at the phrase.

"Yes, you do, buddy. You could barely function in civilized society until I came into your life," Danny proclaims as he points at himself. "You're welcome, by the way."

"Hey, what about Catherine's guy? She had somebody run stuff for us a few times, right, Steve?" Chin suggests to the boss.

"Uh... no, you know what, I may know a guy, let me give him a call," Steve says as he grabs the evidence bag and hurries into his office, very unlike his usual calm and professional self.

"Was it something I said?" Chin asks out loud after exchanging confused glances with Kono.

"Sorta. Steve and his lady friend have called it quits," Danny explains with a wave of his hand.

"Like, quits-quits?" Kono asks with a frown, cause it's not as if they seemed like a perfectly stable couple in the first place, what with Catherine deployed at sea and all.

"Yeah, I think it's over for good this time," Danny says, throwing a glance behind him at Steve's office to make sure he's still inside. "She got a promotion and couldn't do their little arrangement anymore so... I guess she wanted more than he was ready to give."

"Ouch," Chin says with a grimace.

"So no more friends with benefits, just friends," Danny concludes. "I mean, who didn't see that coming? But-"

"Hey, guys, I found a guy who can take a look at the device, Danny and I will drop it off," Steve says as he hurries back from his office. The other three turn to look at him and can't manage to disguise their expressions quickly enough. After all, he is a SEAL. Sneaking up on people is what he does best.

"Danny told you, didn't he?" Steve says, tossing his partner a glare.

"They were gonna find out sooner or later!" Danny exclaims in self-defense. "We're all friends here. This is a safe zone."

"Sorry, Steve," Chin says sympathetically.

"Sorry, Boss," Kono adds.

"I'm fine. It's fine," Steve says fiercely. "We're gonna stay friends, it's better that way." They continue to stare at him and he turns to Danny. "Are you coming or not?"

"With the mood you're in, I'd like to decline the offer of getting into a vehicle with you behind the wheel," Danny says.

Steve huffs at him and heads for the door. Despite his protest, Danny follows him anyway.

* * *

"Kono, I can't stay in Hawaii anymore," Adam says frantically. "It's not safe. We're thinking of going back to the mainland."

"'We?'" Kono repeats. "Who's 'we?' What are you talking about, Adam? You can't just leave."

"My accountants and financial advisors, the lawyers. It hasn't been safe for me since my father disappeared and I'm fooling myself if I think the rival gangs will just let me take over without a fight," he adds grimly. "I can't be here."

"What... where will you go?" Kono asks, trying to keep her voice steady, trying to blink the tears away.

"Probably back to New York for a while. That's where I was before my dad's trial."

"Oh." It's all Kono can say as she stares at him frantically pacing up and down her living room, his energy palpable as he finally stops to stare at her.

"Come with me," he says as he sits down next to her, his hand squeezing hers a little too hard for comfort.

"What?" Kono says as she strangles out a half laugh. "I can't go with you to New York, Adam. I live here."

"Come on, haven't you ever wanted to start over? I don't wanna lose you, Kono. Take a chance and come with me," he pleads.

"Adam, you're not being serious. I live here, my family is here. My work is here. I can't, you can't just ask me to give all that up for you," she exclaims, anger seeping into her tone as she pulls her hands out of his grasp.

"Kono, I know you feel something for me too. Don't give that up," Adam tells her. He runs his hand through her hair lovingly, but she continues to stare at him in half amazement and half horror at what he's asking. "Think about it, okay? My plane leaves Wednesday afternoon at four. Please."

When he kisses her, Kono kisses him back fiercely but her mind is running through a list of everyone and everything she'd have to leave behind. The waves, her parents, Kamekona's shave ice, her favorite clothing boutique, movie dates with her girlfriends, the view of the sunrise from her back porch, Chin, her work, Steve, Danny, Grace-

As they fall onto the bed, she's still thinking of everything she'd miss from home.

She realizes later that she never thought of how much she'd miss Adam.

* * *

She knew it was too suspicious to be true.

"We need to talk to Adam Nishomiri," Chin says, tossing a glance Kono's way as he mentions the name.

It's two weeks later and have a dead gangbanger and the young Yakuza boss is nowhere to be found.

"He didn't kill him, and he's gone," Kono says coldly as she tries not to feel too embarrassed by the situation.

Danny and Steve exchange glances with Chin and each other as they take in her defensive posture and clipped tone. She clenches her teeth and tries to remain professional about this.

Well, as professional as she can be considering she's sleeping with the head of the mob.

_Was_ sleeping with him, thank you very much.

"Kono, the lab reports came back with time of death. I know you want to believe he didn't do it, but in our business, we need an alibi." Danny says in that tone he uses when talking to grieving widows or lovesick girlfriends during an investigation.

She is neither.

"He was with me that night, okay?" she snaps.

There's silence in the room for a moment broken only by Chin's sigh.

"He mentioned the street violence escalating and he's losing control ever since he didn't take the shot on Wo Fat when he had the chance," Kono says, avoiding Steve's eyes as she refers to that night at the airport. "He said he's moving back to New York. Check his plane manifest," Kono says and watches as Steve pulls up the airport record.

"Kono..." Steve begins slowly, meeting her eyes from across the table. "Your name's listed on the register too."

"He invited me along."

"To move to New York?" Chin says in surprise.

"What did you say?" Danny asks.

"Well, he's gone and I'm still here, aren't I?" Kono answers bitterly. "I guess that answers your question."

* * *

She's enjoying her usual grape shave ice at Kamekona's and watching a little girl attempt to make a sand castle when someone sneaks up behind her.

"Steve!" she shrieks. "Don't do that. I coulda dropped my ice."

He just grins. "Sorry, couldn't resist. What are you doing here?"

"Nothing. Just ran some errands. What about you?"

"Same," he says as he holds up his own cone of pineapple ice. "Can't believe we haven't been called in yet, right?"

"Tell me about it," Kono says.

"The day's not over yet," he reminds her. "Something important could come up before nightfall."

"Thanks a lot, Boss. I'll tell Danny you jinxed us."

Steve shakes his head at that. "Did you eat yet? Wanna grab some food?"

"Sure," she answers with an easy smile.

"So how's Mary Ann doing?" Kono asks as she digs into her steak when they're served their meals at a local restaurant.

"Good. She just flew back from Tokyo," Steve says as he takes a sip of his beer. "Then she's headed to London next week."

"Frankfurt, actually," Kono corrects. Steve stares at her in surprise and she shrugs. "We've kept in touch. She's cool."

"Oh. That's... nice," Steve says, still seeming surprised by the news.

Kono chuckles. "What? Is it weird? Do you not want me to be friends with your sister or something?"

"No, it's fine, it's cool," Steve says as he waves away her question. He's really using his hands more when he talks, Danny would be proud. "I guess it'd be wrong of me to ask you to give me a heads up if she gets herself into trouble again?"

Kono laughs at that. That's Steve for you, him and his control issues. But Kono knows by now that it's less about him wanting to control everyone, and more about him being protective of the people in his life.

"Yeah, totally wrong, brah. We're not twelve. I can't tattle on her."

"I figured. I just worry," he admits, looking down at his plate of food and avoiding her gaze.

"Well, don't," Kono reassures him and waits until he locks eyes with her to continue. "She's in a good place right now."

"Good," Steve echoes. Then he grins a little wickedly and leans toward her. "So if I ask her for your secrets, I guess she won't spill either?"

"Nope," Kono says with a grin. "But nice try."

It takes a good twenty minutes before the topic turns to work. Kono's glad to know they have more than their jobs to talk about. She can't explain why that pleases her so much but it does.

* * *

Kono gets her leg sliced open by a drunk arsonist who waves a knife around wildly before she tackles him to the ground. Her right pant leg becomes soaked as the blood trickles down her right thigh. She only grumbles half-heartedly as the guys drive her to the hospital, because, well, she just got her leg sliced open and it hurts like a bitch.

"Good thing you came in," the doctor says, snapping on her gloves as she opens a medical kit. "You definitely need stitches."

Kono already has her jeans unbuttoned and is ready to slide out of them before the doctor even asks her to. When the metallic sound of her zipper echoes in the quiet, Chin clears his throat and nods at the other two men who are huddled around her in the ER.

"Um, we'll wait outside," he says to her as Steve and Danny quickly nod and join him behind the curtain.

Kono rolls her eyes at Chin's logic because she wears about as much clothing on the beach, and the guys have seen her in a bikini countless times. But far be it from her to question Chin and his old fashioned notions of modesty.

"Can someone get me some pants?" Kono calls after them. "Unless you want me to leave here in my underwear."

"I'll run down to the gift shop," Chin says.

"Is this gonna leave a scar?" Kono can't help but ask after the doctor stitches her up and she's pulled on the hideous shorts with the hospital logo that Chin's bought. She'll blame it on the lack of variety in the store because Chin knows her style better by now. "Cause I have great legs."

The doctor laughs at that as Chin snorts and even Steve lets out a chuckle. "This new procedure allows for the stitches to disappear into your skin. You'll barely see the difference. Just keep it bandaged a few days," she advises.

"That's Kono and her priorities," Chin says with a smile as Kono signs her hospital forms.

"Well, good. We wouldn't wanna ruin your beach body, Kono," Danny says sarcastically. "Also glad to know you're safe and healthy and not infected or bleeding out anymore."

"What?" she says defensively. "I do have great legs."

"Would you rather have a scar or your leg amputated off, Kono?" Danny questions in that tone he saves for someone who doesn't understand the severity of their consequences and must be reprimanded. It's how he addresses Steve half the day.

"Oh, come on," Kono says with an eyeroll. "It was nowhere near that bad. You are such a drama queen."

"Okay, kids, let's carry on this discussion in the car," Chin orders as he goes to stand next to his cousin. "Can you walk on it okay, cuz?"

"Uh..." No way to know but to try. She takes a step forward and nearly stumbles as her right leg wobbles, the pain making her hiss.

Steve's at her side, quickly grabbing her hand as she steadies herself with a wince. It takes her another second to re-adjust her center of gravity but she manages to stand on her own. There's no way she's letting the guys wheelchair her out of here.

"Let me ask you this, Danny. Would you rather have your leg amputated, or meet a tiger shark?"

Even Steve laughs at that.

* * *

"I'm coming, hold your horses!" Kono yells as she makes her way to the front door. "Who is it?"

"Steve," comes the answer and she quickly slides across the deadbolt to let him in.

"Boss? What are you doing here?"

"We have a case. You're not answering your phone so I had Chin meet Danny there," Steve says as he steps inside and looks around the organized chaos of her living room.

"Yeah, it's dead."

"Well, grab your charger. You can charge it in the car. Let's go," he orders.

She groans as she turns to put on her shoes. "I had plans tonight, you know. Actual plans with real friends that didn't involve dead bodies or crime scenes. Do I have to?"

"If you wanna get paid this month, you do," he says and grins when she rolls her eyes at him. "Come on, Kono, wouldn't you rather be on the hunt for a killer whose MO is leaving his victims with a morphine overdose? Tell me you don't wanna catch this son of a bitch. Much more interesting."

"Maybe," she admits as she follows him out the door.

Damn it, he's right.

* * *

"Do you think it's sad that the most exciting part of our weekend is a birthday party for an eleven-year-old?" Kono asks as she stands in the water, the waves lapping at her ankles as she digs her toes into the sand, her sundress billowing with the ocean breeze.

Steve laughs at that as he looks behind him at Grace and her friends huddled around a birthday cake as Danny passes out slices. "No, not for me. For you it is. Thought you were supposed to be the fun one, Kalakaua."

Kono rolls her eyes at that. It's hard to find time to have fun when you work odd hours of the day, not to mention more like fourteen-hour shifts instead of nine to five. Also hard to maintain your social circle of friends when most of your time is spent with your co-workers. There isn't much time to devote to anyone else.

"This is kinda fun," she admits with a small smile as she sees the girls line up at Kamekona's truck for free shave ice, Grace practically bouncing on her feet as Kamekona allows her to help serve.

"Yeah," Steve agrees with a smile as he takes another sip of his beer. "Guess the doc was right." Kono gives him a quizzical look at the sudden change of topic. "No scar," he explains as he points at her leg.

She nods at that, not sure what to say about the fact that her boss was eyeing her legs. Well, more like _examining_, of course. So he can assess her physical condition and how it would relate to her job performance in the field. Much more professional. Or as professional as you can get considering that her boss was ogling her legs and she didn't mind one bit.

"But scars are sexy too," he says with a wicked grin and she blushes as her heart rate quickens.

"Come on, let's get some cake."


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: **it started with a whisper (and that was when i kissed her)

**Author's Note: **Thanks so much for your comments. :) Hope everyone's doing wonderful!

* * *

She remembers the date and drives to Chin's house to find him passed out on the couch, a bottle of bourbon on the coffee table as she expected. He doesn't drink often, but when he does, it's always the hard stuff. She sighs and does nothing more than sit next to him, stroking his hair and reassuring herself that he's still breathing, even if he's nearly passed out.

The mantle above the fireplace has the pictures still up - Chin and Malia at the beach, Chin and Malia at their wedding, a group shot of the wedding party, Malia with her parents... so much Malia, her smile so radiant in the pictures that Kono has to force herself to look away. Her bag is still in the corner, a pair of her heels underneath the couch, her folders neatly organized on the table as she'd watch the evening news while reviewing patient files.

Kono sighs as she sees Chin struggle to sit up and open his eyes. "You really need to move, cuz."

Chin only nods and closes his eyes again.

* * *

"Where's Chin?" Danny asks the next morning when she arrives at the crime scene alone.

"He's not feeling well," Kono says feebly and Danny looks like he doesn't believe her for a second. Because, seriously? A common cold keeping the great Chin Ho Kelly in bed for a day?

Yeah, it sounds pretty stupid even to her.

"Yesterday was Malia's birthday," she elaborates sadly.

Danny merely nods, the empathy on his face so clear that it takes all of Kono's strength not to hug him and let herself cry on his shoulder.

He exchanges a quick glance with Steve, the two of them communicating without words in that way that they do. Although, Kono and Chin do it too, so it's an even playing field. "You two start on the case, I'll drop by his place with some breakfast."

"Thanks, Danny," Kono calls after him as he walks to his car, waving away her gratitude because that's just who Danny is. She turns to look at Steve, the two of them lost for words as the reminder of tragedy hits them in the middle of an ordinary Monday morning. It's ninety degrees outside but she suddenly feels so eerily cold.

"You okay?" Steve asks, his gaze roaming over her face, at the loss of light in her eyes, at the way her hair blows in the wind.

"I'm fine," she answers but she can't seem to make herself turn away from him. This is a man who understands about loss all too well. "It just doesn't make sense. He made the right choice, he went to her, but he lost her anyway." Sometimes the injustice of it makes her feel so empty inside.

"He made _a_ choice, Kono," Steve emphasizes, and she watches as a spark flares in his eyes. "It was the right one for him, but I don't think choosing to save you could ever be wrong."

She tells herself it's due to a particularly bright ray of sunshine that causes the tears to form in her eyes.

"Thanks, Boss," she whispers.

* * *

They're at Steve's place for a team barbeque when Kono glances up from the _Bourne _movie on TV to realize everyone seems to have left. She hears the sound of Steve's voice and gets up from the couch to follow it to the deck outside.

"Yes, Mary Ann, I'm fine. Glad you liked your birthday present," he's saying into the phone as Kono sneaks up behind him. Well, tries to. He hears her footsteps before she can even step onto the deck and turns to face her with a raised eyebrow as if to say, _really?_ "Tell Mom I'll pick her up at the airport on Wednesday if I don't have a case."

"Where is everyone?" she asks once he's exchanged goodbyes with his sister.

"Gone. Chin got tired of you saying 'five more minutes' for the movie to end, and Danny had to drop Grace off."

"It's a trilogy, I had to watch them all," she says, defending the last four hours of her life.

"You know the job is nothing like that in real life, right?" Steve tells her in that patronizing tone he uses when he knows more about top secret missions and issues of national security than he can let on. It pisses her and Danny off so much.

"You mean, Matt Damon's portrayal of chasing bad guys around the world and embarking on secret missions is too sexy to be true? How is it in real life?" she questions curiously.

"Sexier," he says with a wink.

"That was your mom?" she asks quickly, trying to squash the bolt of lust that runs through her veins. Mothers are definitely near the top on the list of topics on How to Kill the Sexual Tension With Your Boss and Kill It Quick.

"Yeah. She flew to LA to be with Mary for a week."

"She's just calling to make sure you ate all your dinner," Kono teases as she leans against the railing to take in the breathtaking ocean view. It's a ridiculous thought, but it's as if he owns his own piece of the beach; it's not tainted by tourists or litter or half-built sandcastles that are abandoned midway when children become bored. There's just the sun and the sand, the waves free to flirt with the shoreline without beach chairs and plastic toys getting in the way.

"Cute."

"She wants to make sure you go to bed on time. It's a school night, after all," Kono adds with a smirk.

He comes to stand beside her and she struggles not to notice how vividly the color of his eyes match the ocean behind him.

She fails and notices anyway.

"You know, the living with your mom teasing is really getting old," Steve grumbles as he elbows her playfully in the side.

"Not for Danny and I."

Steve rolls his eyes at that. "Of course. You meet up and pick your lines for the week?"

"Every Sunday. He brings the donuts, I make the coffee."

Steve grins. "That I believe cause he makes shit coffee."

Kono drops the line of conversation as the sudden sound of a wave crashing fills the air. "You have an amazing view," she tells him.

"Yeah, I know." He's staring right at her and she knows the smart thing to do right now would be to head to the front door and leave without looking back.

But only if she can manage to pull herself away from his eyes. Only if he would stop taking steps closer to her, so close now that she can clearly see the beautiful angle of his jawline, the way his long lashes touch the skin of his cheek. She inhales the scent of him; it's a mix of the ocean, his aftershave, and the promise of great passion.

"What are you doing?" she asks, breathless as she stands fixed in her spot, unable to move, unable to do anything but look at him.

"I don't know," he answers honestly, his hands clenching, then relaxing as if to physically stop himself from reaching for her. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know," she says with a shrug.

When he pulls her to him and their lips finally meet, she thinks to herself _about time,_ then she stops thinking at all.

* * *

She wakes up the next morning cuddled next to Steve, his breathing heavy as he sleeps. The exhale of his breath brushing her bare shoulder feels so intimate that goosebumps erupt on her skin at the sensation.

It makes her feel ready for a round two, which is completely out of the question.

And she can't blame it on alcohol because she only had soda to drink last night.

Kono takes one second (well, maybe four) to enjoy the view of a disheveled Steve, his hair standing every which way, the stubble on his jaw seeming darker than usual against the contrast of white pillows. She remembers the way it had felt last night brushing against the curve of her jaw, the sensitive skin of of her neck... and those thoughts have to stop right there because she had slept with her boss and this is not going to end well.

Not that anything's even started in the first place.

Holding her breath, she climbs out of bed and reaches for her shorts and shirt on the floor, the clothes thrown off frantically as they had made their way upstairs. She's desperately running her fingers through her hair when she turns to find him awake and staring at her, merely lifting an eyebrow as she jumps in surprise.

The silence is deafening so she breaks it first.

"I'm gonna go. Cause this is bad. We shouldn't have... I mean, we work together and it'll just mess everything up. And..." He hasn't added anything to the conversation yet so she continues to babble aimlessly. "I don't know what I was thinking. I must have been drunk or something."

"You weren't drunk."

"Then _you_ were drunk."

"I wasn't drunk," he counters smoothly.

"Well, it was still a bad idea!" she cries as she heads for the door, the panic in her rising and threatening to spill over.

What is she going to tell Chin? Of course she's not going to tell Chin. And he's not going to tell Danny. He better not. And what if things are awkward at work? What if every time she looks at her boss, all she can see is the way he'd kissed her with ease, the way he pushed her hair back with something similar to reverence on his face, the moan he'd let out when she nibbled on his ear.

"Let's forget all about this and not tell anyone," she orders.

"Kono..." He makes a move as if to leave the bed and approach her, but she puts up a hand to stop him.

"Don't. I'm going to go home and you're going to stay here, and we'll go back to normal and pretend it never happened, got it?"

She leaves the room before he can answer.

* * *

It's really hard to pretend it never happened when he keeps looking at her like he's seen her naked.

Which, technically, he has.

"So, Steve and I will talk to the wife and I guess you two had better do your computer whiz thing and pull up his bank activity. In my experience, there's only one good reason to rob a bank and that's if you need the cash," Danny declares.

"You know that from your experience robbing banks?" Kono asks with a grin.

"Ha, ha, the rookie's feeling funny today," Danny says back.

"Actually, Danno, I have a meeting with the Governor so I need to go back to the office. I'll go with Kono, and you and Chin meet us once you've talked to the family," Steve announces.

Kono tries not to show her annoyance at his change of plans, especially not in front of Chin and Danny. She follows him like the professional she is, but she may have slammed the car door harder than necessary.

"This isn't suspicious at all," she says sarcastically as they pull away from the crime scene.

"Relax, Kono. It's not suspicious, we work together."

"My point exactly," she emphasizes as she turns to look at him. He is looking way too damn smug and relaxed about this whole situation unlike her and her jumbled nerves and rising panic.

Good to know the mind-blowing sex from a few nights ago has brightened his mood even if it's sent her into anxiety mode.

"I don't get the big deal," Steve says with a shrug.

"The _big deal_ is that I don't want anyone to think I got the job by sleeping with my boss," she says testily.

"Oh, come on, Kono, that's bullshit. You got the job cause we needed you and you're damn good at it. That was years ago and that's not the real reason you're freaking out," he says looking straight at her so she can't escape his gaze.

"Let's not do this, okay?"

"I want to know what you're thinking, Kono," Steve demands. "We can at least talk about this instead of-"

"Look, Steve, I don't know what you want from me-"

"I just want you."

She stares at him in silence and she's so tempted to reach across the aisle and grab him by the shirt, to pull him in for another of those breathless kisses she remembers from the other night, to make a dirty innuendo, to run her fingers through his hair and down his cheek, to answer with _I want you too._

But all she can think of is how awkward it's going to be when this inevitably ends. How they won't be able to laugh the same way at work or roll their eyes at Danny and his comments, how she sucks at relationships and they won't be able to stand each other after the fallout, and how she'd rather have Steve be a part of her life in some limited capacity than not have him in it at all.

"I can't. I'm sorry, but I can't."

He nods and looks away from her, clenching his jaw as he turns his attention back to the road and they continue the drive to HQ in silence.

"Thought you had a meeting with the Governor," Chin comments later when he and Danny walk in.

Steve looks startled for a second then quickly hides his expression with the wave of a hand. "Oh, right. That's tomorrow, I got the days mixed up," he lies as he avoids Kono's gaze.

* * *

It's not awkward around Steve now, but it's certainly not back to normal either.

Before, Kono never paid much attention to the little things. She saw how involved he'd get in cases, but she never noticed the wrinkle between his brows that would appear after he'd stare at the smart screen for too long, or how his eyes would fill with sadness and when he went to deliver news of loss after they'd IDed a victim. She never noticed the way his face would light up when Mary sent him a text during the day, or how he'd rub his hands over his face when he was tired but he would never admit it to Danny.

Well, maybe she had always noticed but she had never truly appreciated those things like she did now.

She noticed the lean muscles of his shoulder under his t-shirt, and she'd remember the way his chest had cradled her head at night when she'd fallen asleep. Their fingertips would graze as she handed him paperwork, and she'd remember how loudly she'd moaned and how he'd muttered her name as her legs wrapped around him, how her hands had clutched his neck to hold him in place.

She didn't want to remember, but she didn't want to forget either.

The problem was that as much as she wanted to give in, she saw the problems down the line. She had to look ahead. Work would get messy, Chin would be pissed, Danny would choose his side, she wouldn't be able to see Grace anymore, Mary Ann wouldn't talk to her, Kamekona would ask questions. She'd have to find a new _family_. They've allowed this group of people around them to become a part of their lives. Kono's the first to admit she never saw it coming when she met the guys on the beach that first day, but it works for them and she doesn't want to do anything to jeopardize that.

So, yeah, sure, she's having visions of him above her and the way he'd cradled her chin as he kissed her, and how his fingers had run through her hair, and the way his mouth had lingered at the side of her neck just to hear her moan again.

Him, on the other hand? He seems to be doing perfectly fine.

That bastard.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: **it started with a whisper (and that was when i kissed her)

**Author's Note: **The song came on the radio and reminded me I had to update! The Thanksgiving mention is a week late, but, oh well, hope you're still in the holiday spirit to enjoy it! :)

* * *

"I hear Ben's back in town," Chin comments too casually when they're taking a lunch break.

Kono tightens her grip on her fork as she forces herself not to look across the table at Steve, willing herself to stay calm as she answers her cousin's question. Or avoids it. "Really? I didn't know."

"Liar," Chin says with a chuckle. "I know you had dinner with him on Saturday."

She sees Steve's jaw tighten as he stares intently at paperwork, but Kono knows he's listening to every word so she chooses her next ones carefully.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she lies as she continues to eat her salad and pray the conversation will take a left turn from the stop at her personal life.

But Danny just walked into the room so of course that's out of the question.

"Who are we talking about?"

"Kono's Prince Charming, Ben."

"Seriously, cuz? You have the memory of an elephant. That was like, fifteen years ago for Halloween." Chin merely grins at her and she turns to Danny. "And we are not talking about anyone because my personal life is not up for discussion."

"Sure it is. We're all family here, we care," Danny announces.

His comment makes Kono squirm uncomfortably in her chair because, oh no, Daniel, no, they are definitely not all family here with normal familial feelings because she and Steve have crossed that line and she has the remnant of a bite mark near her right breast to prove it.

As her eyes lift to meet Steve's across the table, she knows there's no going back.

"My two cents though, your casual arrangement thing with surfer boy is going to blow up in your face and leave a huge mess," Danny's saying, using his hands to show just how big a mess he predicts. "I mean, ask Steve here how that ended for him. He and Catherine are friends now, but a whole lot of awkwardness could have been avoided. Am I right, Steven?"

Steve says nothing as he continues to stare at her, the folder in front of him forgotten along with his seafood lunch platter.

Kono won't admit it to any of them and prove Danny right, but it seems like her arrangement with Ben has already gotten messed up because she couldn't make herself invite him in like she normally would. All she could think about was Steve and how he'd murmured her name as he had kissed her, and how his hands perfectly spanned the width of her back as he'd lifted her onto the bed.

So she picks up her salad and her case files and heads for her office, and doesn't speak to Chin until he apologizes for bringing up her personal life at work, and promises to never again mention the memory of her as Snow White some fifteen Halloweens ago.

* * *

Kono wouldn't say she gave in all at once but when she did, it was in bits and pieces, and suddenly the leap from the unknown into his arms didn't seem so scary anymore.

She'd made a comment about Danny probably feeling more comfortable in loafers and a tie while he surfs than he ever does in board shorts, and Steve grins at her so brightly that it takes her breath away. It seems like before with everyone laughing and Danny starting a lecture on beachwear but suddenly Kono realizes that _she_ doesn't feel the same way about Steve as she did before, and that's what makes all the difference.

She certainly never had the urge to lean across the table and kiss him before, or wrap her arms around him and sigh in relief that the case was over. It hits her like a slap across the face when she makes the realization that it doesn't make much sense to be so happy to go home at the end of the day when you were returning to an empty house anyway.

Kono's driving to his place before she can talk herself out of it. She knocks on his door and she almost turns and flees, but the door's opening before she can, and there he is; tall and handsome, loyal and brave, face crinkled in confusion as he stares at her in surprise.

"Kono, hey, what's wrong?"

She says nothing as she throws herself at him and cradles his face to kiss him as she's been longing to for weeks, for months, maybe secretly for years even. He stills in surprise but it takes only a heartbeat before his hands wrap around her and he lifts her as easily as he did the first night.

"Kono..." He groans as she kisses his jaw, biting gently at his lower lip before she soothes it with a deep kiss. "What are you-"

"I want you too," she whispers in his ear.

He flashes a smile at the words, so quick she almost misses it, but so beautiful she'll never forget it. Then his lips fuse against hers as he carries her upstairs, and he doesn't bother asking what she's doing here because he already knows.

* * *

They go to work separately and he hangs out with Danny, and she hangs out with her friends and in between, they're with each other. They work on paperwork at her place in between _Law & Order_ re-runs as he tries to guess who did it in the first ten minutes. They rent movies and order pizza and make out on the couch. That's _after_ she finally convinces him to join this generation and buy a DVD player.

Steve tries to teach her how to cook and begs her to fold her clean laundry, wincing when she only laughs at the request and throws the clothes on the floor (her pile system works just fine). He crashes at her place the nights he doesn't want to leave because she refuses to sleep over at his house since his mother's there. She pretends she doesn't hear his nightmares of the battlefield as she soothes him through them, but in the morning he brings her coffee and chocolate croissants in silent gratitude.

They surf and they swim and they scuba dive, and Kono's fear of the ocean is all but gone as he holds her hand the first time they dive under and doesn't let go until they break the surface again. She falls in love with the waves again, just as she slowly and unknowingly falls in love with him.

Kono tells herself not to get too accustomed to this routine they've set up but it's hard not to when it works so well.

They do everything but talk about what they're doing and as much as Kono loves how easy it is, she can't help but be nervous about the situation they're in. She knows the downsides of being in a secret relationship. She did it once with Adam, staying behind closed doors and armed guards, and though it's a completely different scenario, she's doing the same thing with Steve. They are two completely different men, yet she finds herself so worried about what everyone else will think about their relationship that she can't make herself go public.

Adam was the head of the Yakuza, Steve's the commander of Five-0. It's a difference of night and day. First, she worried what people would think that she was dating a mob boss, and now she worries what they'll think that she's dating her boss.

So she hides him too, because she's not brave enough to show him off.

They kiss and talk and sleep together when in the comfort of their homes, but when they're out in the open, she makes sure to keep her distance in case someone finds out.

Finds out _what _exactly? That Kono actually likes him? How intrigued she is by his past, how much she respects his training, how he takes her breath away when he looks at her with all the concentration in the world right before he kisses her.

They've made no promises to each other so she doesn't bring it up, and neither does he.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Kono asks quietly as she slips into Steve's office around lunchtime. She'd been going through a stack of the suspect's credit card reports with Chin but she lets Danny take over while she demands a bathroom break. It doesn't involve the computer console since the company hadn't managed to go digital yet, hence Danny took over with less argument than expected, his only complaint being of possible papercuts.

Steve looks up from his computer in surprise. "Yeah. Why?"

"Nothing, you just... you've been holding your arm weird all morning." She's hoping she's not coming off as the concerned girlfriend when they've never used the terms before, but she noticed right away how he seems to be favoring his right arm over his left.

"I... it's an old shoulder injury," Steve admits. "It's acting up again."

"Can I get you anything?" she asks hesitantly.

"No, I'm fine," he says. "I took some Advil this morning."

"Are you sure?" she asks again. "Want me to get you an ice pack? It always helps with my knee."

Steve remains silent while debating her offer, as if it would be a monumental sign of weakness if he gives in. So she does what any concerned girlfriend with a stubborn boyfriend would do - she tricks him into it.

"It's only two o'clock. If the lab results come back saying it was the wife's hair, we'll have to go pick her up."

"Yeah, you're probably right," he acknowledges with a heavy sigh. "Fine, I'll take the ice pack."

She goes to the break room and grabs one, slipping by Danny and Chin quietly as she returns to his office. She comes around to his left side, very aware of the distance she's maintaining between their bodies. After all, his office is made of glass.

He hisses as the cold hits his bare skin under his shirt, and she rubs a soothing hand over the muscle of his arm at the noise.

"Better?" she asks quietly.

He nods as he looks at her, his eyes darkening as they dart to her lips then back to her eyes. "Yeah. Thanks." His hand comes up to brush back her hair, his fingers grazing her cheek as he smiles shyly.

Kono smiles back, ducking her head as one look, one touch from him sends her body humming and her heart racing. "You're welcome," she murmurs before she forces herself to take a step back to the other side of his desk.

"Now get back to work," he orders. "We really need the numbers to match by the time the labs are in."

"Yeah, yeah," she says with an eyeroll on her way out. "You know, there's a reason Danny calls you a slave driver."

"I heard that," he calls after her.

But the smile remains on his face as he holds the ice pack in place.

* * *

Doris McGarrett invites them all to Thanksgiving dinner and Kono almost manages to get out of it, but Danny threatens her that if he and Grace have to be stuck with the McGarretts during a holiday dinner, she had better be there too.

It's actually not so bad. Mary flew in for a few days so Kono spends most of her time catching up with her, and Kamekona's there to provide entertainment with his possible business ideas. Max shares with them more trivia than they ever wanted to know about turkeys, and Grace made a Thanksgiving card for Steve as a thank you for the invite. It's the elementary school art class kind where you trace your hand and draw it into a turkey, and Steve puts it front and center on the fridge as Grace beams up at him with pride. Kono tries very hard to act like she doesn't want to kiss him right then and there, but the knowing smile he tosses her way makes her flush down to her toes.

"To family, and friends, and friends who become family," Doris toasts at the table. "To reunions and new beginnings. To all of us."

The woman can cook, she'll give her that. The turkey's delicious and dessert's even better. Kono laughs at Danny's horror stories of the beach, bluffs her way through questions from Mary Ann about her love life, and tries to avoid Steve's gaze from across the crowded room. She doesn't realize how late it's gotten until Grace falls asleep on the couch and Danny calls it a night as he carries her to the car.

She's stepping out of the bathroom when Steve grabs her and pushes her against the wall, kissing her frantically as if they don't have a moment to lose, and have many to make up for.

"Steve!" she utters, but who is she kidding? Her hands wrap around his shoulders to pull him closer, and she pants for breath as his tongue traces the familiar hollows of her mouth he's memorized in the past few months.

"Shh, they're downstairs," he whispers as he grins at her, slowing his pace to kiss her more deeply. "You look nice."

"You clean up okay too," she murmurs, running her hands over the collar of his blue dress shirt and down the front of his broad chest.

"Thanks for coming."

"Danny made me," she answers with the shake of her head. "Three McGarretts on the island is too much for him."

"I made him," he boasts.

"I knew it," she teases. "You should be thankful you have a best friend who gives in so easily."

"Nah," Steve explains. "I gave Grace twenty bucks to drag him here."

She laughs outright at that, her head thrown back and her dimples showing as he smiles at her fondly. "You're horrible."

"Hey, it worked. I got you all here," he says with a shrug.

"That you did," she tells him, pressing her lips to his again, her fingers tunneling through his dark hair, her hips grinding against his; she grins in success as he moans at the maneuver. "I'm thankful Grace isn't above a bribe."

"I'm thankful she fell asleep so Danny finally went home," Steve says in between kisses. "That story about him seeing an eel at the beach is full of shit, you know."

She chuckles at that, tilts her head further back as he places sloppy kisses down the column of her neck. "I'm thankful Chin's half asleep and half buzzed so he won't notice I'm missing."

"I'm thankful for you," he says, so simply and openly that her heart stops, and stutters, before it falls into his hands completely.

She smiles at him softly, kissing him so gently that he moans at the loss of contact, his hands running up and down her arms to touch her bare skin.

"I'm thankful you aren't stupid enough to try and look down my dress at Thanksgiving dinner." He stops his movements to give her a sheepish look. "Busted."

"Shit," he mutters as he rests his forehead against hers, swallowing her giggles with a quick kiss. "What can I say, I'm a risk-taker. Plus, it's your fault. I see black lace and you're killing me here, Kono," he growls as his hands brush at the zipper of her dress, his fingertips causing her skin to awaken with desire.

She gives him another kiss, lingering this time as she slowly removes herself from his arms, forcing herself to step back and fix his collar. "If you save me another piece of pie, I'll wear it for you tomorrow at work."

His eyes widen and Kono tries not to laugh at his eager nod. "Deal."

Ten minutes later, he brings her another slice of pie as she's talking to Chin, and she's once again thankful her cousin's not sober enough to notice Steve undressing her with his eyes.

* * *

"Why did you kiss me?"

They're in Steve's kitchen when she asks the question. She's eating a bowl of cereal as a midnight snack while he's poring over paperwork at the dining room table. He tears his gaze from the laptop screen a minute later to focus on her.

"Sorry, what'd you say?"

"Why did you kiss me?" she repeats.

He looks startled at the question as he crinkles his eyes in confusion. "Why did I kiss you when?"

"You know, that night here. The _first time_," she emphasizes dramatically when he still looks lost.

"Oh. I don't know. I wanted to," Steve answers with a shrug, his forehead wrinkling as he thinks back to that moment. "I stopped thinking that I shouldn't and I just did it." He waits for her response but she only stares at him, then gets up to put her bowl in the sink, stopping by his side to kiss his cheek.

"Don't stay up too long, it's already midnight," she says as she turns to leave but he grabs her by the hand, stopping her in her tracks.

"Did I answer wrong?" he asks nervously as he looks up at her and she smiles softly.

"Nope," she assures him and sighs with content as he pulls her onto his lap.

"Okay. Well, why'd you kiss me?" he asks as his hands wrap around her waist to secure her in place.

"Um, it's called _foreplay_, Steve," she comments with an eyeroll. "You kiss, I kiss, sometimes there's tongue..."

He flashes a grin at her teasing, but he shakes his head as his fingers toy with the ends of her hair. "Not then. When you came to my house after."

"Oh." She squirms a little in his lap at the question but he only pulls her closer to him so their foreheads rest against each other, their lips nearly brushing. "I wanted to take a chance. I missed you," she admits.

"Yeah?" He watches her nod with such seriousness, his blue eyes stormy as they follow her movements. "No one's really missed me before."

"Sure, they have," she tells him, her hands tightening around the back of his neck as she remembers how lonely it must have been for him to grow up the way he did. "We missed you when you were in prison, and when you went to North Korea. And when you disappeared on us looking for Shelburne."

"Did you?"

"I did," she tells him, leaning so close to him now that they're exchanging the same breaths of air. "Are you going to kiss me now?"

His mouth turns up into a smile as he glances at her lips, but he makes no move to cover the distance. "How come I always have to be the first to make a move?"

Kono shrugs. "Because."

"Not gonna run away the morning after, are you?"

"Jeez, that was _one _time, Steve. Are you gonna hold it against me for the rest of our lives?" Then she realizes her choice of words and startles, looking at him quickly to explain. "I didn't mean-"

His lips crash down on hers, his mouth forceful and persuasive as he takes control. His hands cup her chin as she struggles to take a breath before kissing him back with equal fervor. His evening stubble rubs against her skin and she moans in delight at the texture, panting as he only deepens the kiss at her whimper, tilting her head to find another angle. She lets out a squeak of surprise as he lifts her into his arms, and he grins at the noise as they part for air.

"I can walk, you know."

"But you're small enough to carry."

"I'm not small! I'm taller than Danny," she boasts even as she wraps her legs more comfortably around his waist as he heads upstairs.

He grimaces. "Do me a favor. Don't mention Danny again when we're making out."

Kono laughs at that. "You got it, Boss."

"And you don't have to keep calling me 'Boss'," Steve points out.

"Oh, but you like it," she whispers to him with a wicked smile, her body brushing against his seductively, her hands trailing down his chest.

"I- I don't," he denies too quickly. She gives him a look, daring him to deny it again when she can feel the evidence of his arousal, hard and firm against her, his eyes darkening with lust. "Okay, I don't _not _like it."

She laughs before she leans in to kiss him again. "That's what I thought."

"And yes," he says as he sets her on the bed, his warm hands running up her back to remove her tank top.

"Yes to what?" she asks, biting back a moan as he kisses down the curve of her neck.

"Yes, I am gonna hold it against you that you ran out for as long as we live," he says and grins as she drops her mouth open in surprise.

She grabs him by the shoulders to pull him on top of her, her hands playing with the hem of his t-shirt, fingers dancing across the taut skin above the waistband of his boxers. "Maybe I can make it up to you."

"You can certainly try."


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: **it started with a whisper (and that was when i kissed her)

**Author's Note: **Here is the final chapter. I was feeling some pressure about the ending and was thinking of re-writing what I originally had, but I like how it is and I hope you do too! This chapter includes a few throwaway lines to Steve/Danny and Danny/Chin, all in good ohana fun. Also, I totally had Danny saying "boob" written _before_ the Halloween episode! :D

I'm thinking of posting a collection of oneshots about Steve/Kono living together, so comment if you'd be interested in reading those. And please comment if you read this. Thank you in advance if you do! Have a wonderful week and end to your year! :)

* * *

He comes over with dinner when she's all dressed up and about to leave the house for a night with the girls.

"Sorry. I should have called," he says, his eyes lingering on the long, lean legs showing from under her short skirt.

"No, it's okay. You can stay and eat here," Kono offers. "I'm sorry, I gotta go," she says with a grimace, feeling bad as she imagines him eating alone in her house when he'd clearly brought take-out for two.

"It's okay," Steve tells her with a smile. "Go. Have fun."

She gives him a quick peck on the lips before she leaves... and thinks about him all through dinner. She doesn't linger long for drinks and instead drives home to find him fast asleep on the couch, her laptop still open to a case report he was typing. She nudges his shoulder and his eyes open immediately, those SEAL reflexes sharp as ever as he assesses any possible threats in the darkness of her living room.

"Hey," she murmurs, leaning down to kiss him softly, watching his face relax instantly.

"Hey. Sorry, I guess I fell asleep," he says, standing up slowly.

"No kidding," she replies. He turns as if to head for the front door, but she takes his hands and leads him to her bedroom, watches with fondness as the initial surprise on his face turns into a pleased smile he tries to hide. She gently pushes him toward the bed, fixing the pillow for him as he slips out of his jeans, his eyes closing again as he lays down.

"There's food in the fridge," he reminds her, prying his eyes open long enough to look at her.

"I'm not hungry. Go back to sleep, Steve." She pulls on a pair of shorts and a tank top, and crawls under the covers next to him. His body turns automatically toward her; her head finds its place near his shoulder and his hand comes to rest at her waist. She runs a hand through his hair, waiting quietly as his breathing falls into the synchronized rhythm of sleep she's become accustomed to.

Her last thought before she dozes off is that it's nice to have someone to come home to.

* * *

"Is my son here?"

Kono looks up from her desk to see Doris McGarrett at the doorway of her office.

"No, sorry. He and Danny are at the lawyer's prepping for court on Monday," Kono informs her. "Can I help you with anything?"

Doris takes a second to study her before approaching the desk and handing Kono a folder. "I wanted to drop off the paperwork for my police detail. I could have taken it to HPD myself, but knowing Steve, he'll want to double check I signed everything."

"You're finally accepting the safety detail?" Kono asks in surprise since the woman has been refusing extra police protection since she got into town, despite Steve's adamant protests.

"Nothing huge, of course, I can take care of myself. One officer stopping by during the day like Steve suggested. It's the least I can do for him."

Kono stays silent at the comment as she flips through the paperwork. "I'll make sure he gets it. But your home address is wrong on here."

"No, it's not," Doris says. "I'm moving into a new apartment downtown."

"You are? Why?" Kono asks.

"My son's a grown man now. He's used to his own space and to be honest, I'm used to mine," she comments with a smile.

"How come you didn't stay at the house?" Kono questions curiously. "I mean, it is yours."

"It hasn't been mine for a long time now. But I'm glad Steve has somewhere to come home to. I've gotten used to moving apartment to apartment for decades now. One more move isn't gonna kill me." She winces at her choice of words. "At least, I hope not."

"That's nice of you," Kono says honestly. "Steve really loves that house and fixing it up."

"Yeah, he does," Doris says with a small smile. "And now you can feel free to stay the night."

Kono pauses for a moment, deciding whether to play pretend or give in. But her guard's already down so she decides to take the honesty route and see where it leads. After all, Doris McGarrett is a lot smarter than anybody gave her credit for. "How did you know?"

"I'm still his mother, you know, even if I've been a lousy one," Doris admits with a sigh. "He smiles more when he's around you," she explains softly. "And he smiles at you differently than he does anyone else. It's nice to see that. It makes him look younger, less... haunted. I'm glad you can give him that."

Kono takes in the sight of the older woman as she speaks about her only son, her smile wistful and her eyes full of tears. The wrinkles on her face don't tell tales of grand adventure; they're creased with the sadness and regret of years missed with the children she left behind.

"I just don't want to see him hurt by you being here like you did when you left, that's all," Kono says quietly.

Doris nods. "I get that. I know you're hesitant to trust my motives, Kono, you all are, and I don't blame you. In fact, I'm glad my son has people in his life who care about him that way. But I'm here now and I'm not leaving. That's gotta count for something, right?"

Kono nods, taking the peace offering for what it is, for Steve's sake. Because Steve, despite all the pain and suffering and loss and secrets he's suffered through, despite the men he's killed and the training he's conquered and the missions he's led, his heart is still innocent enough to give his mother another chance.

"That is something, you're right," Kono says with a smile.

"Maybe you can come over to dinner with Steve once I get the new place set up?" Doris asks hesitantly.

"Sure. I'd like that."

* * *

They haven't mentioned their relationship to anyone at work, but she's sure Chin and Danny have their suspicions. She's caught Danny staring at her a few times, and Chin has that same look on his face when she skipped school at thirteen and thought she'd gotten away with it, but he'd seen her at the beach and made her write an essay on juvenile truancy. It's as if he's waiting patiently for her to share the news on her own terms. With Danny, it's more like he's waiting for the perfect moment to out them.

Which is exactly what happens.

"Law enforcement barbeque at the beach next weekend, team," Chin announces.

"Do we have to?" Danny groans in his usual grand dramatic fashion. "I shouldn't be forced to go to the beach on a Friday night for some stupid work thing."

"Yes, you have to," Steve orders from his spot at the table. "We need to be everywhere the governor wants us to be, when he wants us there. Can't afford to get into any more trouble this year."

"But you live to get into trouble, Super SEAL," Danny exclaims. "Sucking up to the governor since you're breaking the rules?"

"I'm not breaking any rules, Danno, thank you very much," Steve proclaims. Then he pauses for a second. "At least I haven't today."

"What about fraternizing with a co-worker, is that breaking a rule?" Danny questions, the complete picture of innocence.

Kono stills in the middle of her paperwork and avoids glancing at Steve at any cost. She avoids looking at anyone in the room but she can see Danny and his mile-wide grin, and the small smile on Chin's face assures her that he knows too.

"We don't have such a rule," Steve says, not breaking a sweat at Danny's question. After all, he's been trained to withstand extreme pain; he should be able to handle this torture from his partner.

"Oh, we don't, do we?" Danny echoes, his glee barely maintained.

"I'm in charge of Five-0, remember? No such rule. Why? You feel like asking me out, Danno?" Steve asks playfully, trying to keep composed but fighting back a grin nonetheless at the direction of the conversation.

"Oh, not you. Don't flatter yourself, big guy, you're not my type. Maybe Chin," Danny says.

Chin laughs from his chair, watching his younger colleagues with amusement. "Sorry, brah. I'm still grieving."

"Right, sorry. But no hard feelings. Your loss. What about you, Kono?" Danny asks as he wheels his chair closer to her. "We can get started on all those kids the psychic saw in our future."

"What?" Steve asks, his eyes darting between them.

"I mean, we've already made out-"

"When?" Steve asks a little too quickly.

"I mean, no one would mind, right?" Danny says with a wave of his hand to everyone in the room. "The boss says it's not against the rules. What do you say, rookie?"

Kono can think of nothing to do but laugh. She looks at Steve, who simply grins at her and says nothing; he's waiting for her to make the choice about how to declare their news, or even _if_ to declare it. He's leaving it up to her because he respects her that much, and her heart swells as she smiles back.

The cover is up, the truth is out, and it's time to tell Chin and Danny.

Well, more like admit it because her superb investigative skills tell her they already know.

"Actually, Danny, I'm seeing someone," Kono declares.

"Are you now? Anyone we know?" Danny asks politely.

"He works in law enforcement, so maybe. But he keeps a low profile," Kono comments with a grin.

Chin snorts at that and that's all it takes for Danny to break character. He's too easy.

"_Low profile?_ You're kidding, right?" Danny asks her, waving his hands wildly as he begins to count on his fingers. "Do you not remember the grenade incident of 2010? When he broke out of prison in 2011? What about when he got hit by a car during the embassy case and we had to attend a safety seminar at HPD for two hours on a Saturday?"

Kono rises from her seat to stand next to Steve. "Do you know anything about that, honey?" she asks casually as she leans down to kiss him. He blinks in surprise at the move, his lips warm and soft against hers for the mere span of a second that it lasts.

Well, maybe two seconds.

He grins up at her, dimples showing, his eyes filled with affection and warmth. "Not a thing, sweetheart."

"You bastard, that was my weekend with Grace!" Danny shouts, ignoring their kiss to continue with the more important topic at hand. "And I had to spend two hours of it in the stinky HPD auditorium listening to traffic cops give us a lecture on crossing the street."

"Come on! Rachel let you have her an extra night, I explained everything," Steve says defensively to his partner. "You're just mad cause all the officers there kept congratulating me."

"Of course they were, they're crazy for some action down there and they think you're some kind of real-life Rambo. They worship you! They're idiots! Are you sure you know what you're in for, Kono?" Danny asks her. "I am warning you, as your friend, that this man is a lunatic."

"He does seem to be attract trouble," Chin says, failing to disguise a laugh.

Steve groans at their comments and she squeezes his shoulder as she makes her way back to her seat. "Yeah, but he makes great pancakes."

"Well... that he does," Danny admits with a shrug. "I'll give him that. Grace eats like, eight of them whenever we go over."

"How did you know anyway, Danny?" Steve asks curiously.

"I just knew."

"_How?_" Steve repeats.

"It's been years now since you ambushed me into this little partnership of ours, Steven, you don't think I know by now when you're getting laid regularly? No offense, Kono," Danny directs to her with a respectful nod.

"None taken," Kono remarks proudly.

Chin groans. "Gross. I'm sitting right here, guys."

Steve exchanges grins with Kono, winking at her as he hears Danny's comment. But he refuses to accept that explanation alone. "No, it had to be something. Come on, how'd you know?"

"Does it matter how? I am a detective, it is what I do, I _detect_," Danny brags.

"Danny, just shut the hell up and tell me," Steve growls as Chin and Kono try and suppress their laughter at the duo.

"Your hand grazed her boob two weeks ago at a crime scene," Danny announces. "Again, sorry, Kono."

"Yeah, I saw that too," Chin declares to Steve, a hint of warning in his tone as he glares at his boss and waits for the younger man to speak.

"Oh," Steve stutters. "I... oh."

"Yup. That's right, caught in the act, Smooth Dog. And instead of jumping back and stumbling over an apology which is what I would do as a regular, normal, platonic colleague," Danny points at himself, "you did nothing. And she didn't punch you in the face for it. Ergo, there's been boob touching."

"Stop saying 'boob,''' Chin orders.

"Right. Sorry. I'm done."

"You were married and you have a teenage daughter and you still use the word 'boob?' Seriously, brah?" Kono remarks.

"She is _not_ a teenager yet, thank you very much. Not yet. I still have time. And do not even _mention_ Grace and her rapidly changing figure, I beg of you, I am not ready to accept that yet," Danny pleads, his hands in a prayer-like gesture to Kono, who takes pity on him and nods. "Anyway, Chin and I noticed it and we've been waiting for you to tell us ever since. Thanks for taking your sweet time, by the way, glad to know how important we are in your lives," he adds sarcastically.

Steve remains silent at that and Kono quickly speaks up. Because she was the one that was feeling insecure and wasn't ready to share the news of their relationship publicly, not even to the two people in their life who they spend a good portion of their day with. And their nights. And weekends. And most holidays too.

"Sorry, that was me. It's just... I wanted to figure things out for myself before we made it official. You know, that it was actually something worth telling." She looks at Chin, hoping her cousin will understand that she hasn't jumped into this lightly, and he nods at the meaning behind her explanation. "I told you now!"

"You mean, I _exposed_ you in the break room after your SEAL here didn't realize he'd been caught red-handed?" Danny says, raising an eyebrow at her choice of words.

"Right. Same thing," Kono says.

"Except it's not, at all," Danny counters back.

"Chin, do you really care how the news came out?" Kono asks her cousin.

"Nope. If you're brave enough to admit it to us, you better not be messing around," Chin advises protectively and Steve nods quickly. "As long as I don't walk in on you in the bathroom," he warns as he points a finger between them.

"Won't happen. We prefer the supply closet," she says with a smirk.

"Cuz!"

"Just kidding," she says with a grin, but deliberately avoids Steve's gaze because she was not kidding, not kidding at all.

"Oh, gross," Danny bellows. "You know what, I think I'm gonna make a list of ground rules for you two to follow."

"Yeah, you do that. Take it up with the boss over there," Kono says waving a hand toward Steve who sputters at her.

"Why me? You're in this too!"

"Yeah, but you're the one who got us caught. Shoulda kept your hands to yourself in the workplace, _Boss_," she teases, watching his eyes darken with a surge of arousal at the word.

"I'm gonna get you back for this," Steve promises.

"I look forward to it," she replies back, her tone coming out low and seductive as he smiles that special smile he saves for her; the one with dimples and laugh lines, the clear joy in his eyes that makes her heart feel fluttery.

"I'm still sitting right here!" Chin says loudly. "Don't look at each other like that when I'm around. Put that down as one of the rules, Danny."

* * *

"So, have you slept with anyone to get over Adam yet?" Mary Ann asks over the phone. "Cause it's high time, Kono, seriously."

Kono tries not to grin at her friend's question as she answers slyly. "Yeah, actually, I have. A lot. We're kinda together now."

"Get out! Who? When?" Mary Ann asks eagerly, the questions tumbling out of her without pause.

"Steve."

"Steve who?" Mary asks without missing a beat.

Kono chuckles. "Steve, your brother, Steve."

Mary Ann's silent over the phone for a moment before she nearly shrieks. "You're sleeping with my _brother?!_ Since when?"

"A few months now," Kono admits as she settles into the couch for girl talk, chores forgotten.

"But, wait. I was there for Thanksgiving and you didn't say anything," Mary accuses. "Even then?"

"Um, yes..."

"You bitch. Oh, shit."

"What?" Kono asks nervously, because Mary's opinion really means a lot to her. The woman's an important part of Steve's life, and she's become a good friend to her too. The last thing she wants is to create any awkwardness between them with her and Steve's new status coming to light.

"Now I can't talk to you about your sex life anymore cause, ew, gross."

Kono laughs at the woman's response, relieved it's nothing serious against their relationship. "I mean, I can share details if you want... trust me, your brother is _very_ good at-"

"I'm hanging up now, Kono."

* * *

Kono comes out of the bathroom and slides back into bed as Steve's arm tightens around her waist, pulling her to his side of the bed again and right back into his arms.

"Still here?" he mumbles into the back of her neck, his voice husky from sleep.

"Well, your mom moved out so I guess I can stay and snuggle," she comments as she turns in his arms so they're face to face. She runs a hand over his morning stubble and watches as his eyes open to look at her.

"You could have stayed before too."

"With the possibility of me walking into the kitchen half-naked one morning as she's making eggs? No, thank you."

"Yeah, it's not fun," Steve mutters with a grimace. He stares at her so intently that she shifts under his gaze.

"What?" she asks nervously.

"Nothing," he answers with a shrug. "Didn't realize you were scared of my mother, Kono."

"Oh, please," she says as she rolls her eyes. "I'm not scared of her. I could just do without the awkwardness of seeing her after I've been thoroughly ravaged by her son."

"Ravaged, huh?" Steve echoes with a smirk as his fingers trail over the ridge of her collarbone, making her shiver in his arms.

"Shut up. Plus, you have not even met my mother yet. She may not have faked her own death or been in hiding for decades, but she can be scary in her own way."

"So when can I?" Steve asks.

"Can you what?"

"Meet her."

She stares at him in surprise. "You wanna meet her?"

"Do you want me to meet her?" he says back, not answering her question at all. But his hands tighten around her waist as he waits for her response, as if he doesn't want to get shot down the first time he even tries to get off the ground.

"I'll take you the next time I go for dinner," she says softly and watches as he nods. "But get ready for an interrogation."

"Kono, I've been trained to resist thirteen types of enemy torture. I think I'll be fine against your mom."

"Don't say I didn't warn you, Steve."

* * *

Kono meets a few friends from the police academy at the beach event and they're laughing over hot dogs and drinks when she sees Steve and Danny arrive together, Grace trailing between them. Danny's still wearing a work shirt, but no tie, so he's made some progress.

"Hey, Kono," Danny says as they walk up to her and he smiles at her friends politely. "You look nice."

"Kono!" Grace hugs her and Kono smiles broadly, her arms wrapping around the little girl with equal enthusiasm. "I like your dress."

"Thanks, Grace. Did you bring your board?"

"No, Danno said no surfing lessons from you today because it's a work event. But I'm wearing my bathing suit! Will you swim with me before we leave?"

"I can do that," Kono promises with a nod. Her eyes meet Steve's and they smile at each other, but she looks away before she does something silly like kiss him hello in front of half the 15th division of HPD.

"We're gonna get some food," Steve says as he points toward the long line at the buffet table.

"I'll find you later, Grace," Kono promises the girl as they walk away.

"Oh my god, he is so hot," her friend Alani declares with a dramatic sigh. "How do you work with him all day?"

"Danny? Yeah, it's hard but I manage," Kono says with a grin and Alani laughs even as she shakes her head.

"He's cute too, but I meant Commander McGarrett. Seriously. You need to get on that, Kono," she commands.

"Alani! He's my boss," she stutters, the words coming out more flustered than usual when the conversation with her friends turns this way. Maybe because she has inadvertently taken Alani's advice and gotten on Steve many, _many_ times in recent months. And she's certainly let him get on her too.

"So? You're Five-0, you guys break all the rules anyway," Alani states with a shrug, as if it's that simple. "Seriously. Jump him."

"You're crazy," Kono says with a laugh, taking another sip of her drink as the conversation turns to other topics like the music festival at the beach on Friday night, and how this season of _Nikita_ is as good as ever.

"You wanna go for a swim, Kono? I'm sweating already," Alani asks a little while later, beers forgotten and food eaten, conversation topics exhausted.

But Kono's too busy watching Steve and Danny in the buffet line, the two of them bickering over something on the menu while Grace happily munches on a hot dog next to them.

In that moment, she wants nothing more than to be with the trio, teasing Steve and Danny, or more like teasing Steve with Danny (or sometimes the other way around), and helping Grace moderate. She wants to eat with him and laugh with him, to sit with him and go home with him, to fall asleep and wake up the next morning in his arms. She wants to be on the receiving end of that special Steve McGarrett smile Doris said her son saves just for her.

She wants it more than she wants to girl talk with her police friends, more than she wants to go for a swim in the ocean, more than she wants to be alone for one second longer when the truth is, she's not alone anymore.

Bravery and determination rise within her as they did when she needed to conquer her fear of the ocean. But this time, it's not the blue waves she needs to face, or the unpredictability of the tides, but the long walk from where she is on the beach to where he stands on the other side.

Actually, the walk doesn't seem so far after all when he'll be there to greet her with a smile.

"Not right now, Alani," she says with a smile. "I'll catch up with you later."

She takes a deep breath and makes her way to Steve's side, slipping her hand into his as he's mid-conversation with Danny. He nearly jumps at the contact, turning to her quickly in surprise, glancing at their joined hands and then at the police community gathered around them. The cops may be in casual wear, but they're observant as ever.

"Hey," Kono says as she smiles up at him. "What are you guys arguing about now?"

"I... Kono..." Steve begins, his voice low as his eyes subtly dart around the beach.

But he doesn't move his hand and neither does she.

Instead, he smiles that bright smile he reserves solely for her and Kono knows the walk over was worth every step.

"Your crazy health-nut boyfriend here wants me to try a tofu burger. What the hell? If I have to suffer on a Friday night, I'm going to make sure my burger's made of real meat," Danny declares with a flourish of his hands, almost knocking over a stack of paper plates beside him.

"I'm just watching out for you, Danno," Steve says, not missing a beat in the conversation as his thumb gently strokes Kono's palm, his hand as warm as the Hawaiian sun they're standing under. "Your cholesterol could still use some work, right, Grace?"

But Grace has other things on her mind than Danny's cholesterol level as she stares at Steve and Kono's entwined hands in surprise.

"Uncle Steve! Are you and Kono _together?!_" she squeals, her meal forgotten as her eyes widen at the sight in front of her. The girl is sharp; she could become a detective.

"Yeah, Uncle Steve, are you?" Danny echoes, grinning at his daughter's delight.

"I... I guess we are," Steve answers with a smirk and a half shrug as he pulls Kono closer to his side, kissing the side of her head as she leans into him.

Kono doesn't deny it. She simply smiles.**  
**


End file.
